Episode #13.51

4 cooks in an elimination final in the beautiful desert oasis of Simpson's gap. They must star indigenous desert ingredients that have increasingly appeared in the last two series but are right at the centre for the first time. Three of the four enthusiastically embrace the challenge, the fourth doesn't, focusing, instead, on the problems of unfamiliarity.

Depinder has cooked confidently through the series, often doing her best to appear anxious. But this time, after taking her team into the elimination yesterday, she has reason for worry. Will her many skills take her through?

Kishwar wants to create a fusion of indigenous and Bangladeshi flavours. I thought we were going to get through without it, for once, but no, she cries--again.

Pete dives into the challenge, relying entirely on indigenous ingredients. He's the big risk taker of the competition, always wanting to push the boundaries, in stark comparison to most of the competitors who focus on honing what they already know. So, there's always the question of whether his risks will pay off... Tommy also embraces a kind of fusion of indigenous and Vietnamese ingredients. He's enthusiastic about the possibilities and is increasingly innovative. But he may have set himself up for failure. And, he's also started getting teary, episode after episode.

Finally, once contestant, of course, must leave.

One of the more enjoyable episodes this series, marred only by the apparently obligatory weeping and the judges' ham-fisted amateur psychology and awkward niceness.